The manufacturer offers a new RIM smartphone capitalizing on a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard sliding. According to the Canadian firm, the Blackberry Torch brings together the best of both worlds, a keyboard way Bold 9700 and a multipoint capacitive screen. Enough to compete with the dominant mobile Android and iPhone 4?
Until we provide a comprehensive test of the Blackberry Torch, here is our review and first impressions of our colleagues from Cnet.com about the new Touch Canada.
Tutorial Blackberry Torch
As usual at RIM, the finishes are good, Blackberry Torch delivers a solid feel, despite its sliding keyboard, it remains small enough not too distort our pockets.
The design approaches the Bold 9700 Blackberry Torch advance of a similar size elsewhere while being substantially thicker due to its sliding keyboard (111 x 62 x 14.6 mm against 109 x 60 x 14 mm for the Bold 9700). However this Torch is heavier than the Bold 9700 (160 g against 122 g). The QWERTY keyboard is very close to it, good news for fans of BBM …
Below the screen 3.2-inch capacitive, we find the touchpad is already present on the 3G Pearl, Curve 9700 and Bold. This is fairly accurate.
Web Browsing: Multipoint, but slow
Ongoing criticism from users of Blackberry, Web browsing often tedious. RIM seems to have listened to the remarks, its full HTML browser based on Webkit handles HTML 5, CSS and Ajax and includes multipoint technology.
You will be able to zoom in or zoom in by pinching the screen with two fingers, a standard that Apple managed to impose. Tabbed browsing seems quite well managed and provides value added. If Web surfing is finally comfortable on the BlackBerry, the first user feedback are also state a browser pretty slow and fluid from the competition …
Blackberry OS 6: more intuitive!
The Torch is the first BlackBerry Smartphone RIM BlackBerry OS accommodate 6. The first opinions are excited about this OS. More intuitive and friendly interface of the Blackberry Torch offers a new navigation bar on the homepage.
Customizable navigation bar that lists all applications in five categories: All, Favorites, Media, Downloads, Common. You can scroll through them directly from the homepage, very convenient! Convenient, but some also point to the lack of fluidity of scrolling through menus.
The universal search tool seems convincing and will scan all content available in the mobile, but also on the Web, YouTube and applications. Like competitors, social networks are implemented on the Blackberry Torch with a tool aggregates the most popular of them.
A truly seductive OS only inefficiency, and passivity in the scrolling seems questionable.
Blackberry Torch: a configuration disappointing?
The Blackberry Torch boasts a 3.2 inch screen capacitive advancing a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. A resolution is still identical to the Bold 9700, which seems a bit limited compared to the WVGA display (480 x 800 pixels) that are found in most competitors, including smartphones running Android.
Nor AMOLED screen, Super or AMOLED Retina, the Torch is satisfied with an LCD screen displaying 65,000 colors.
Screen with a limited resolution, but that seems responsive to light touch, especially as the Blackberry Torch has a multi screen, zoom with two fingers is particularly exploited in the Web browser.
To run without too much slowdown Blackberry OS 6, there is a 626 Mhz processor supported by 512MB of RAM, a configuration rather light compared to the monsters of power such as Samsung or HTC Galaxy S Desire (see our benchmark). Result, initial tests show a certain slowness in the execution of tasks and a Web browser sometimes wheezing.
For data storage, there is a 4GB internal memory expandable via microSD slot (cards up to 32GB). To upgrade the BlackBerry Torch, the kiosk application downloads World App version 2.0 is pre-installed.
The classic features are present Smartphone, HSDPA, GPS (exploitable native Blackberry Maps), Wi-Fi b / g / n, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack, no worries on that side.
To capture photo / video, the BlackBerry Torch adopts a 5 megapixel autofocus sensor with an LED flash. No skill HD video resolution is limited to VGA (640 x 480 pixels).
With a battery of 1300 mAh, RIM shows 6 hours of talk time and 17 days standby. Indications that we will be sure to check in our next full review of the Blackberry Torch. This new BlackBerry will be available August 12 across the Atlantic at AT & T, it is expected in the hex end of September or early October.
To sustain its position as number two worldwide in the highly competitive sector of the Smartphone, RIM needed a new product attractive. Leveraging Apple’s refusal to include a mechanical keyboard, the Blackberry Torch could hold its own in the game seems well finished, not too bulky, the new BlackBerry OS 6 is more intuitive, Web browser finally comes competition in terms of user experience
Rest of the technicalities disappointing, a configuration a bit light and a relatively low screen resolution. It should also be verified in practice slowdowns evoked some of our colleagues …
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